You can add a little solder to something you want to remove. This actually makes it easier to de-solder everything. Recapping a monitor is easier compared to the motherboard.

The Motherboard traces are smaller and if you have a your soldering gun to hot you can lift the traces. If you don't think you can replace the send it to Borygard aka Rob Anthony at Pinball Classics http://LockWhenLit.com

Thanks.
I'll do that.

Can anybody here tell me if I can use these non-polarized capacitors , which are for Audio devices, on my monitor chassis?
Are they the same, or not at all ?
Thanks.

https://www.amazon.ca/pcs-Nichicon-ES-MUSE-Capacitors/dp/B075K7R3VV/ref=sr_1_5

Monitors are pretty straightforward - the RFM motherboard is NOT. The multiple layers make it difficult - I wouldn't attempt it unless you have significant experience and the right tools. Reach out to Borygard aka Rob Anthony at Pinball Classics http://LockWhenLit.com.

A Solder Sucker. If you do more large projects, consider investing in a desoldering station. It makes the process so much easier/faster and with better results.

Let us know if your monitor works. Bench-testing is best if you can give it a 15KHz video signal.

Can I "bench test" it with a multimeter?
How do I give it a 15KHz signal (what method)?

You need a CRT Signal generator. Something like this - http://craftymech.com/arcade-test-pattern-generator/

Thanks, I'll do that as well.
Good thing I asked first, I would've probably scrapped my motherboard.

Thanks for the tip but this is my first recap job and will most probably be my last as well, so buying that tool won't be a good investement for me.
I hope the chassis will work well though, I'm a little nervous, I just ordered the 4 non polarized capacitors I was missing to finish the job and I will install it afterwards, should be next monday or tuesday.

I grabbed a B&K signal generator off ebay for $20, use a Chinese desolder station, have a nice digital Weller solder station. Have recapped hundreds of monitors, along with everything else hobby related. Cap kits are very easy to do, and therapeutic lol. Beer helps

LOL
If I just reconnect everything and turn the game on, is it dangerous in any way to damage anything, other than blowing a cap if it's upside down?

This is very neat and I see from the link that it works with various systems. How easy is this to update and what not?

I see this thread has not had a key post in more than three years; I can mark some posts as key, you guys just tell me the numbers.

Wasn't there a "distribution" called pinbox that unofficially replaced nucore after the lawsuits where done?

Pinbox was a hack of the official nucore release so you did not need to install the usb device from nucore. It was removed from internet within a couple of days or so but copies still float over the internet.
It is still nucore without that protection. Later on nucore allowed a pinbox install to be updated with their latest release

I saw this portion of a post in the Nucore forum that was linked above:

“LCD con -- Absolutely horrible black level on most LCD's. This ruins the hologram effect in RFM. What happens instead of seeing individual hologram targets, you have a big square image that pretty much shows the player he is looking at a reflected monitor instead of a 'floating hologram'. For star wars it isn't a real big deal since most of the game is designed with backgrounds. RFM has plenty of images with black backgrounds.“

Is this issue still the case with LCD? Does it impact the hologram effect negatively?

I installed that package for the newer Ubuntu version and after a while the game only started with a small window of the software instead of full screen. Did not work as well as the original version.

For better lcd blackness. There are lcd panels which should work better. Lots of discussions about this can be found on internet.

For the moment my focus is on getting the damn NIC working in the emulator. So it can hook up to a tournament server

If anyone wants to try the software I am running. No problem. I can send an executable which runs on Ubuntu 20.04

So if you have a machine lying around let me know

Joined the club today, hello!

IMG-20231027-WA0000 (resized).jpg

Do these improved panels ever reach the same level of blackness as the CRT? I see some people say the LCD has better resolution, but if that blackness isn't there that won't really matter for the hologram effect, I wouldn't imagine.

Some are pretty decent but nothing beats the contrast level of a tube.

Great, looks like a nice piece

So you tested this for Ubuntu instead of Lubuntu, if I understand correctly?
Wouldn't that make a difference.
I've found nucore with this setup very heavy on one CPU core.
So the autostart function would not work. I updated the system to an I5 8400 and it worked.
I could imagine the CRT script would just work on every other linux distro.

I would love to try the software for you

OLED panel will. IF I ever had a RFM, and wanted to/had to upgrade my CRT, I'd limit myself to an OLED screen.

What size and resolution would you need an OLED screen? (the crt and in what resolution)

I put a CGA commercial arcade monitor in my RFM when my CRT was beyond hope. No adapters and used the same plugs the CRT did and I think looks really good. Not as cheap as an average LCD. It's a Wells Gardner and I think I paid 300 or 400 for it.

Are the blacks as black as the CRT? This sounds like a good option.

I'm not sure we'll ever see an OLED panel in 4x3 ratio which fits these games.
They are all wide aspect ratios suitable for TVs and movies and what not.
Love to be wrong tho.

Est ce que tu est de la France?
La "quote" est traduite en français.

Welcome to the club.
Nice game by the way.

In theory, if you got one with the same height, but wider, you could 'letterbox' the signal (for example, using an OSSC or other upscaler). Just shot-gunning here, tho.

However, yes - the lack of 4:3 screens these days is utterly devastating for us arcade/coin-op guys.

Sadly no but I don't regret going to the LCD. I will get some pictures for you on different game play so you can see how it looks.

Took RFM to my office together with CV.
Of course RFM gets the most love, that’s why I put it there. Also because it’s a rock solid machine. No idea what kind of wizardry they did to the Pin2k platform because they’re so reliable it’s crazy.
IMG_4704 (resized).jpeg

Yeah this all boils down to native CONTRAST. Contrast ratio needs to be very high to keep the floating effect happening in these machines. No LCD, not even an IPS screen can get close to the contrast ratio of a CRT. My only educated guess is that OLED would be your closest option in that department. And that would be expensive as I’m sure they exist in a 4:3 format in hospital, scientific, or military use or search on Aliexpress lol.

For maintaining CRT compatibility on more modern hardware, one known good solution is to find an "ArcadeVGA" graphics card, capable of 15kHz output. This is links just for reference as they are no longer sold (I run this card in my p2k):

https://www.ultimarc.com/arcade-vga-and-video/arcadevga-cards/arcadevga-5000-card-pcie/

I believe if you find the same GPU, you can flash the bios to turn it into an arcadeVGA, but I have no details. There may be more modern cards with this capability, I don't have any information on that either.

Hopefully this information is helpful to someone.

This is why you try to repair the chassis and save the monitor in these games if possible.

Oups je suis démasqué, oui je suis en France.

OLED actually has a better contrast ration than CRT - when it's 'black', that pixel is completely off - not emitting ANY light. No backlight, so like LCD (or "LED") monitors, there's no bleedthrough.

However, finding one that will fit, is the issue. There used to be a company that would custom-cut an OLED panel to whatever size you specified, but then you'd need to work out a driver for it and all. Not an easy task.

That would be great. Thank you so much!

I’m really enthusiastic about possibly rejoining this club. My wife and I never really wanted to sell our old machine, just needed the space at the time and felt that the lack of parts if the game crashed was a time bomb. By the sounds of it that risk is just not there any longer so this club is safe to rejoin.

The assistance and comments on the CRT and various other options is very helpful for when I go hunting for that perfect RFM for us. Sounds like the CRT is the best option but that some of these other options may be okay (I don’t want to ruin the holographic effect).

Here are some pics. If you look you can still see the box on the Hypno-Beam shot due to the contrast not being black, black like a crt but I am very happy with it.

20231028_114605 (resized).jpg

20231028_114616 (resized).jpg

20231028_114635 (resized).jpg

What computer and system are you using?

get it updated to v2.50! haha

Worthy of a key post i would say..

Plus my software update posts would be useful to be key posted to.

Also, lets forget about nucore. its abandoned software with dubious history..

There's better things coming

yeah, that would pass for 'good' in my book EDIT: yeah that looks pretty good***, although it would be impossible to judge your pics, because well they are photos..however I would try to pump a tad more contrast if those pics are legit..I acutally have one of these monitors I'm going to use for my Super Sprint, so this is probably the 'best' and cheapest alternative to CRT..not that I would sacrifice my CRT in my RfM, but if I had to recap my monitor, this would be a great way to keep it running..I bought the cheaper version of the same monitor..forgot the brand (Unico?). anyways good job Sir. Did you add the scan line pcb to this?

I marked the one you quoted key. Send me numbers for the other posts you feel should be key’d and I’ll key mark them.

Question: is it possible to find a NOS or brand new crt?

You should check Ebay a little more. This guy, which in Quebec, Canada not too far away from me, sells one here (see link), The same guy in question had listed it for sale on Marketplace last year, I almost bought 1, because he has 2 for sale (unless he sold one lately), but I decided that it would take up too much room for such a low risk that I ever need one.
ebay.com link: itm

Edit: he sells the monitor with the chassis but he won't ship the monitor, you have to go pick up the monitor in person, not very tempting, to say the least...... Those minitors have been for sale for at least 2 years.

The overall brightness of those photos is very low. If you were to increase it to normal levels you would see the LCD monitor outline.

Yea, he says it needs some work and doesn’t function properly…and the pick up certainly wouldn’t work. I’m wondering if there is an NOS available or possibly a modern replica of some kind.

That monitor not fonctioning properly is'nt a big deal, it most certainly is the chassis that has a problem, which should be easy ti fix.
I've seen a NOS monitor for sale here on Pinside a few months ago, it was still in the box.